Friday, July 12, 2013

This Google Document is a list of the resources that we heard about in our class this summer. During class, you can edit the document to add to the list. After class, I'll mark it as read-only so it can be an archive of the year.

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

I just discovered a new site to add to the list for free stock photos you can use in your classroom or other projects. It is called Morguefile.com and they have pretty favorable license terms. I discovered them via this blog post.

(*Requirements is a strong word. We want you to do these general things, but if there is something else you want to do, just let us know!)

Your blog will be your "home" project--you will link or post all your other projects to it so we can see them. At the end of the last day of class, you will just email me a link to your blog with your projects.

create three wiki pages (introduction, nutrition, form)

fill out five classmates’ forms

embed your podcast onto one of your wiki pages

create a podcast with intro/outro music

create your blog

modify the settings and layout

create a photographic header

post with links to wiki

post with video

post with pictures

Two posts exploring/explaining classroom use of two of the tools we discussed

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Converge magazine advocated a technology strategy that I also heartily endorse. Let technology initiatives start as small experiments and then let teachers clamor for the things that they see working, rather than trying to anticipate the way they will use technology. Here is how they put it.

The first time the district made interactive whiteboards and document cameras available in the grant program, staff members expected to purchase between 10 and 20 devices. But only five educators applied.

"What it really came down to was people didn't know what they were or what they were capable of," said JoAnn DePue, director of technology, data and assessment.

But as other teachers saw what the five educators were doing in the classroom with the tools, they got interested too. The next time the grant option came up for the devices, all the teachers in one elementary school applied.

The reported a similar experience with the spread of podcasting.

Teachers weren't sure they had time to create podcasts, so technology staff showed a few students how to do it. Within the first year, half of the elementary school students produced at least one podcast that was tied to the curriculum. The next year, almost every student had at least one digital piece online.

The problem for most teachers is that they just don't have the time to figure out new things. But once they see how something new can make class better or easier, they are happy to spend the time to get up to speed.

Friday, July 1, 2011

Although in class we used Wikispaces, there are other popular wiki platforms. Along with Wikispaces, PBWorks and Wikis in Education's WetPaint are free for K-12 educators. (Pro tip: Don't go to "wetpaint.com", though. That is decidedly NOT a K-12 website. Just warnin' you.)

Google Docs, in addition to creating documents and spreadsheets, allows you to create "forms" that can then be embedded in other programs, such as Blogger or Wikispaces. A form can be a survey, quiz, or poll. It is simply a way to gather information. Because of the nature of the form, it is not very secure. Your students won't be stopped from voting more than once, putting someone else's name in, or other mischievous actions.

From your Google Docs homepage, click the "Create New" and select "Form". Create the survey/quiz/poll as desired. To add another question, there is a button in the left top corner of the page with a green plus sign "Add item".

When you are done with your form, you will need to get the "embed" code to place the form into your blog or wiki. Click the button titled "More Actions" and select "Embed". You will need to copy the code in the box by highlighting it and right clicking and selecting "copy".

If you would like to place this form in a blog, simply go to a new post and paste the embed code. If you would like to place the form in a wiki, you must add the code as the "Other HTML" widget. Just paste the embed code in the box that comes up when you select the correct widget.

If you want to edit your form after you've embedded it, but before people have started taking it, you must go back to the Google Docs form page and click the "Form" tab on the blue strip near the top of the page. You will have to go back through the embed steps and replace the revised in your blog or wiki.

These aren't a substitute for class, but perhaps they can help you remember the procedures that we did in class. There is a search function in the video that sort of works if you are trying to find when we talked about a specific thing. Hover your mouse over the video while it is playing and the search field will appear on the left side of the screen.

Thursday, June 30, 2011

Once you have created your podcast in Audacity (complete with intro and outro music from a place like Free Music Archive), you must save it as mp3 file.

First, you must download the right encoder (lame_enc.dll) if you haven't already done so. Select the edit menu, go to preferences, select libraries. On the libraries popup menu, click on the "download" button next to "LAME MP3 Library".

Once the encoder is downloaded, select from the file menu "Export". Name the file, and select "mp3" as your file type. You will be warned about the reduction in the file size; click "OK". Fill out as much or as little of the metadata song information as you want, and then click "OK".

Once you have your mp3 file saved, open a browser window to min.us. Click "select" and find your mp3 file and click "open". Voila! You are done. Be sure to write down the unique address in the address bar before you leave the min.us site.

(*Requirements is a strong word. We want you to do these general things, but if there is something else you want to do, just let us know!)

Your blog will be your "home" project--you will link or post all your other projects to it so we can see them. At the end of the last day of class, you will just email me a link to your blog with your projects.

About Us

We teach two continuing education classes through BYU for elementary and secondary education teachers. Technophobia to Technoaerobia focuses on educator tips for using Microsoft Office 2010 (Word, PowerPoint, and Excel). New Media in the Classroom teaches about wikis, blogs, and podcasts.